Raj Kapoor's ancestral home in Peshawar to be converted into museum

Legendary Bollywood showman Raj Kapoor's ancestral home in Pakistan's walled city of Peshawar will be converted into a museum by the end of this year.

The house, owned by Raj Kapoor's grandfather D Bashisharnath, is situated in Mohallah Dhaki Munawar Shah where Raj Kapoor was born to Prithviraj Kapoor on December 14 1924.

Shaikh Amjad Rasheed, the chairman of IMGC Global Entertainment in Pakistan, has taken the initiative of renovating the haveli and converting it into a museum, reports The Express Tribune.

"We are planning to renovate Prithviraj Kapoor's five-storey house and turn it into a museum. We are in continuous interaction with the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government and hope that we will soon get the green light to acquire the house from its present owners,: said Rasheed.

Minister for Culture, Mian Iftikhar Hussain, said anyone who is taking such an initiative is "more than welcome" and that the K-P government aims to work hard to promote culture and arts as much as they can, while defeating terrorism.

Rasheed said the house is a source of pride for the inhabitants of Peshawar and they would like to protect its rich heritage. He elaborates that the house is of great historical significance to the city and should be rightfully preserved and dedicated to Raj Kapoor's life and work. Careful renovations will take place so that the house is appropriately rehabilitated, keeping its original structure intact, he said.

Rasheed claims that the plans for the upcoming project have also been shared with Raj Kapoor's grandson, Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor, who Rasheed says was "extremely happy" to hear the news.

Rasheed added that Ranbir expressed a keen desire to visit Peshawar along with his family for the inauguration of the museum.